Featured Artist

How long have you been painting or doing art?

I have been painting for about 15 years, but I have been crafting and making art all my life.
I wanted to major in art in college until my Dad convinced me that it would be easier to find a job in education if I majored in a broader field. I have to say I don’t think he was wrong. I truly enjoyed my career in education.

What’s the best advice (regarding your art) that you’ve ever received?

I think the best advice I ever received was to read the book, Art and Fear. I really help myself feel comfortable with letting loose and just trying things. With giving up perfection and just painting. Fully aware it’s only paint. I still have to have a visual of what I want to achieve I’m happy to let it morph into what it is supposed to be.

What inspires you?

I think what inspires me most is color. I also have to have a personal or emotional connection with the inspiration, or it usually isn’t my best work.

Where are you originally from?

I was born in Oklahoma City but grew up as an only child on an acre of land on Park Avenue in Valdosta with my mother and three grandparents. It was the best childhood.

What award or accomplishment are you most proud of?

I am not really a plein air painter. I really like to think about my work for a while before I begin to paint, and plein air doesn’t allow the time for that, but I try. I have entered all the Guild paint outs except last year when I was traveling. The last year I entered I won an Honorable Mention. They liked the way I had painted shadows on the white gas station I painted. Because plein air isn’t an area where I excel, I am very proud of the award.

Favorite place to visit or favorite art museum?

I think my favorite art museum to date is the Picasso museum in Barcelona. My husband and I when on a whim. We had some extra time and a dear friend texted and asked if we had been. I wasn’t on my list, but we went. I was amazing. The art was in chronological order, beginning with Picasso’s sketches as a young boy, the paintings his father tasked him to paint for competitions (They were very traditional. He won his first competition at age 10.), his time in Paris, to his contemporary work with which we are all familiar. It WAS interesting to learn that his contemporary work began when a friend asked him to do a caricature. I was fascinated not only to see his work, but to visually understand how he evolved in his work and to see the talent he had even as a young boy.

What does The Artisans Village/Guild mean to you, and/or what do you love most about being part of the TAVG?

The Guild is amazing to me, to see how it has evolved from the beginning to now is just beyond words. I can still see the structure that was implemented from the beginning and see how it has grown. I love the people who are involved, the artists who are willing to share and encourage you to learn and work on your art. So many who were there at the beginning have continued to work faithfully to see it grow and reach so many artists. It has become more than we could ever have hoped for that first year when we began. I cherish every minute of it.